The Seven Year Covenant

The book of Daniel was written several hundred years before Jesus came to earth. Yet it contains more prophecy about when Jesus will come a second time than any other book except the book of Revelation. Jesus came the first time as a baby to become a man before dying a cruel death to pay the penalty for the sins of mankind. Only God Himself was perfect and could pay for our sin:“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” 1 Peter 2:22.

Jesus will come again as “…the Lion of the tribe of Judah…” Revelation 5:5 to rule and reign. The book of Daniel tells about a seven year covenant that will be made seven years before Jesus returns and sets up His thousand year kingdom:“He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven…” Daniel 9:27 A ‘seven’ is seven years.

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he prophet Daniel has been asking God for forgiveness for the sins of his people – the Jews. The angel Gabriel comes to give him this prophecy:“Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.
Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven. In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” Daniel 9:24-27

“Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.” Daniel 9:24A ‘seven’ is seven years. Gabriel told Daniel that seventy ‘sevens’ or 490 years will come before Daniel’s people, the Jews, are restored both spiritually and physically to the place for which they have been created.

“Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.” Daniel 9:25The time “to restore and rebuild Jerusalem” happened when Nehemiah was allowed to restore and rebuild Jerusalem:“In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes…” Nehemiah 2:1Seven + 480 = 490. After seventy ‘sevens’ Jesus (“the Anointed One”) will return – at that time the Jews will be restored.

‘Seven’ and “sixty-two ‘sevens’” are separated is because about 2,000 years separate these time periods.

“After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing…” Daniel 9:26This happened when the Jesus was put to death after 483 of the 490 years occur. This came to pass as prophesied, but the last seven years did not follow immediately. The last seven years has not occurred.

“…The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.”In 70 AD Titus, a Roman Emperor, destroyed Jerusalem as was foretold. “The people of the ruler who will come” helps to show us the identity of the person that confirms the covenant. He will come from the now dissolved Roman Empire. Exactly who this includes is debated.

“He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven…” Daniel 9:27This one scripture tells of a significant event. I believe that Christians who are watching for this sign will know the identity of the person called the Antichrist. “…He…” is the Antichrist. He is also called “…another horn, a little one…had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully” Daniel 7:8 or “…the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3 or “…beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies…” Revelation 13:5 Christians can know when Israel signs a peace treaty with this person. I don’t think this peace treaty will be secret – it will be signed with “…many…” and is currently the goal of several, including the leaders of the United States and Israel.

The prophet Isaiah spoke God’s words to the Jews:“You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death, with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.” Isaiah 28:15

“…In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation…” Daniel 9:27In the exact middle of that seven years the “…abomination that causes desolation…” will be set up in Jerusalem. There is much in the Bible about the final 3 ½ years.“The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.” Daniel 7:25
“…“It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.” Daniel 12:7
“The woman (Israel) was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s (Satan’s) reach.” Revelation 12:14

Time, times and half a time (3 ½ years) is the same time period as 42 months or 1,260 days:“But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.” Revelation 11:2
“And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” Revelation 11:3
“The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.” Revelation 12:6

During the last 3 ½ years will come a time of great persecution – especially for the Christian:“For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.” Matthew 24:20 Mark 13:19 Luke 21:23
‘When the dragon (Satan) saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman (Israel) who had given birth to the male child (Jesus). The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s (Satan’s) reach. Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus (Christians).” Revelation 12:13-17

Sometime during that 3 ½ years the rapture will occur. Christians will have to endure the Antichrist tribulation, but not God’s wrath.“and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” 1 Thessalonians 1:10“For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:9

The rapture is when those who believe in Jesus will be caught up to meet Him in the clouds:“According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

Christians will be given new bodies at that time:“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

Jesus said we will not know the exact time of His coming:“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Matthew 24:50 Mark 13:32

However, we are to be alert and not surprised:“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” Matthew 25:13
“Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord (God’s wrath) will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6

We know that the rapture will occur during the final 3 ½ years because the Antichrist will be revealed before the rapture. As has been mentioned he will be revealed in the middle of the final seven years when he sets up an abomination that causes desolation in the temple:“…In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation…” Daniel 9:27

As the Apostle Paul assured the Thessalonians, the rapture won’t occur before that time:“Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

The “rebellion” also has to occur before that time. This probably refers to the time when “many will turn away from the faith” and “the increase of wickedness” when “the love of most will grow cold”:“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,” Matthew 24:11-12

We can know that after a peace treaty with the Antichrist, it will be seven years before the Antichrist is thrown into the lake of fire:“But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.” Revelation 19:20

His end was foretold by the Prophet Daniel over 2,500 years ago:“…until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” Daniel 9:27

We can know that when Israel signs a peace treaty (covenant) with the Antichrist, there is only seven years before Jesus sets up His kingdom. Christians will reign with Jesus for a thousand years on earth:“…They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4
“…they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:6

After the thousand years. Christians live forever in “a new heaven and a new earth” Revelation 21:1 as explained in Revelation 21-22.

This was also foretold by the prophet Isaiah close to the time of Daniel:“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.” Isaiah 65:17

Those who know Jesus have much for which to look forward. We need to remember that when we go through most of the time of the seven year covenant:“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Colossians 3:1-4